Apparatus for drawing lines and marking measurements and inscriptions on drawings



June 25, 1963 0. BUTTER APPARATUS F'OR- DRAWING LINES AND MARKING MEASUREMENTS AND INSCRIPTIONS ON DRAWINGS Filed Jan. 6, 1961- NV va/r k:

Otto .Butl'er States The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for drawing lines and marking measurements and inscriptions on drawings Which is also suitable for preparing drawings on small drawing boards or drawing tables, is independent of a drawing machine and consequently adapted to be used universally. The apparatus can be employed selectively on a drawing board or on any other fiat support. Apparatus of a similar character is disclosed in US. Patent 1,185,996 to Groby. Further, the apparatus of the present invention will be operated by the actuation and pivotal movement of a key-operated type lever of an ordinary platen-type typewriter as disclosed, for example, in the US. Patent 1,725,231 to Underwood.

The invention provides an apparatus for drawing lines and marking measurements and inscriptions on drawings, comprising a machine for marking measurements and inscriptions which is similar to a typewriter and slidable on a guide rail in relation to a drawing plane, said guide rail being constructed as a ruler.

The machine for marking measurements and inscriptions can be adjusted at any time to any desired position and at the same time the ruler, which can be provided with one or more scales for this purpose, can be used for purposes of measuring. Thus subsequent checking of a finished drawing is considerably facilitated. The ruler has at least one toothing.

The guide rail which can be used as a ruler can be easily produced and the toothing cooperating with the escapement of the machine for marking measurements and inscriptions can be produced for example together with the guide rail by casting. By making the guide rail of synthetic plastic material the shifting noise is reduced considerably.

According to an important feature of the invention the ruler may have a raceway for at least one guide roller provided on the machine for marking measurements and inscriptions.

Furthermore at least one guide roller adapted to rest on the plwe of the drawing near the point where the types strike can be fitted on the machine for marking measurements and inscriptions.

If three guide rollers are used they form a three-point support for the machine for marking measurements and inscriptions, the perfect position of which is thus ensured. A spring-loaded pull-cord may be attached to the ruler for effecting the feed movement of the machine for marking measurements and inscriptions and the ruler carry a holder for connecting to a drawing machine of known construction.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing a ruler carrying a machine for marking measurements and inscriptions;

FIG. 2 is a section, on a larger scale, taken substantially on line IIII of FIG. 1, with the addition of an escapement, and

FIG. 3 is a section, on a larger scale, through a guide roller, taken on line II-IIII of FIG. 1 and omitting the type inking device.

FIG. 1 shows a known machine 1 for marking measurements and inscriptions which carries on the end faces of tent ice

its segment 2 guide plates 3 and 4. Each of the guide plates 3 and 4 is guided with bent-over ends 5 and 6 on a guide rail 8 arranged on a ruler 7. The guide rail 8 is provided on each of its opposite longitudinal sides with a toothing 9 and 10 respectively. The bent-over ends 5 engage in the toothing 10 and the bent-over ends 6 engage in the toothing 9. On the upper side of the guide rail 8 a raceway 11 is provided for guide rollers 12 and '13 mounted on pivot pins 36 carried by the guide plates 3 and 4.

Key levers 14 and also type levers 15 actuated thereby are provided in the segment .2 as in the case of typewriters, only one of each of these levers 14 and 15 being shown in FIG. 1. Underneath the key levers 14 a known control lever 16 is provided which acts on an escapement consisting substantially of a shifting pawl :17 and a locking pawl 18 which are arranged on a common axle 19 of the machine 1 for marking measurements and inscriptions.

The locking pawl 18, when in position of rest, engages in the toothing 9. When the key lever 14 is depressed, the shifting pawl 17 is pressed downwardly through the intermediary of the lever '16, the locking pawl 18 being at the same time pressed out of the toothing 9' by the shifting pawl 17 acting on a pin 20 on the locking pawl. Thereby the shifting pawl 17 engages in the toothing 9.

On the return of the depressed key lever '14, the shifting pawl 17 is moved back into its position of rest against an abutment 22 on the segment 2 under the influence of a return spring 21 connected to the shifting pawl 17. During this return movement of the shifting pawl 17, the locking pawl 18 is carried along by a spring 23 extending between the pawls 17 and 18, so that it now once more engages in the toothing 9 displaced by one tooth. The

pulling force necessary for producing the shifting movement is supplied by a spring-loaded pull-cord 24 engaging on a connecting member 37 on the machine 1 for marking measurements and inscriptions, and wound up in a housing 25 carried by the ruler 7. Scales 26 and 27, preferably with different graduations, are provided on the ruler 7.

To ensure perfect guiding of the machine 1 on a drawing board 23, a guide roller 31 is provided on a bracket 30 near the striking point of the types, which roller 31 presses the drawing paper tightly against the drawing board 28 at this point and thus enables perfect reproduction of the types. In front of the guide roller 31 a type inking device 32 is arranged which is carried by a bracket 33. This bracket 33 also carries a cover plate 34 facilitating the adjustment of the machine 1, which plate 34 preferably has a cross-spider registering with the type striking point and also avoids soiling in the proximity of the striking point. The cover plate 34 has an aperture through which the type levers strike on the drawing paper. A holder 35 is provided on the ruler 7 for fitting on a conventional drawing machine.

It is also possible, even when the scale 27 is required for carrying out the measuring, to pull the machine 1 as well as the housing with the pull cord 24 olf the ruler and refit them the other way round; in this case the shifting pawl 17 and the locking pawl 18 will cooperate with the toothing 10.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come Within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended 0 to be embraced therein.

drawing board or the like comprising an elongated guide 7 rail having a flat lower surface for receipt of a drawing onto which indicia is to be applied, said rail including a vertical rib including an upwardly opening, longitudinally extending raceway portion therealong, a printing assembly reciprocably mounted on said vertical rib, said printing assembly including a pair of spaced guide Wheels rotatably mounted in coplanar relation and received on said raceway portion, said printing assembly including a laterally projecting support portion at one side of said rail, a third guide wheel journaled on said support portion in parallel relation to said pair of guide Wheels providing a three point, anti-friction support for said printing assembly, said printing assembly including at least one operating key and vertically pivotal type lever, said support portion including inking means adjacent said third guide wheel for engagement by type on said type lever when type indicia is applied.

'2. The structure of claim 1 in which said guide rail includes at least one series of longitudinally spaced teeth opening along one lateral edge thereof, tension means at one end of said guide in engagement with said printing assembly for normally drawing the printing assembly in traversing relation along said guide rail, and escapement means on said printing assembly operatively connected to said one operating 'key and said one series of teeth for permitting tooth-by-tooth movement of said printing assembly along said guide rail.

3. The structure of claim 1 in which said guide rail includes at least one free longitudinal edge having grad- 4. The structure of claim 1 in which said printing assembly includes a plate-like segment from which said support portionextends, saidguide rail including laterally opening, longitudinal grooves at opposite lateral edges thereof, said plate-like segment including inwardly directed lips guidingly received in said longitudinal grooves.

5. The structure of claim 4 in which said guide rail includes at least one series of longitudinally spaced teeth opening along one lateral edge thereof, tension means at one end of said guide in engagement with said printing assembly for normally drawing the printing assembly in traversing relation along said guide rail, and escapement means on said printing assembly operatively connected to said one operating key and said one series of teeth for permitting tooth-by-tooth movement of said printing assembly along said guide rail, said one series of teeth being formed above one of said longitudinal grooves and having spaces therebetween communicating with said one longitudinal groove.

6. The structure of claim 5 in which said guide rail includes at least one free longitudinal edge having graduated measuring indicia therealong for permitting lines to be drawn and measurements to be made, said free edge being disposed along the edge of said guiderail opposite said one series of teeth.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 986,471 Langanke Mar. 14, 1911 1,725,231 Underwood Aug. 20, 1929 2,460,813 Dohn Feb. 8, 1949 

1. APPARATUS FOR APPLYING INDICIA ON DRAWINGS ON A DRAWING BOARD OR THE LIKE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED GUIDE RAIL HAVING A FLAT LOWER SURFACE FOR RECEIPT OF A DRAWING ONTO WHICHINDICIA IS TO BE APPLIED, SAID RAIL INCLUDING A VERTICAL RIB INCLUDING AN UPWARDLY OPENING, LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING RACEWAY PORTION THEREALONG, A PRINTING ASSEMBLY RECIPROCABLY MOUNTED ON SAID VERTICAL RIB, SAID PRINTING ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A PAIR OF SPACED GUIDE WHEELS ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN COPLANAR RELATION AND RECEIVED ON SAID RACEWAY PORTION, SAID PRINTING ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A LATERALLY PROJECTING SUPPORT PORTION AT ONE SIDE OF SAID RAIL, A THIRD GUIDE WHEEL JOURNALED ON SAID SUPPORT PORTION IN PARALLEL RELATION TO SAID PAIR OF GUIDE WHEELS PROVIDING A THREE POINT, ANTI-FRICTION SUPPORT FOR SAID PRINTING ASSEMBLY, SAID PRINTING ASSEMBLY INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE OPERATING KEY AND VERTICALLY PIVOTAL TYPE LEVER, SAID SUPPORT PORTION INCLUDING INKING MEANS ADJACENT SAID THIRD GUIDE WHEEL FOR ENGAGEMENT BY TYPE ON SAID TYPE LEVER WHEN TYPE INDICIA IS APPLIED. 